How Dublin’s emerging neighbourhood wine scene is building community and connection

The rise of neighbourhood-focused businesses becoming more common across Ireland can be attributed to a few different factors. For Darren, he noticed a marked change in people’s mentalities following the Covid lockdown, with the public having become more used to the idea of seeking things out closer to home. There are also the practical reasons, such as rent, with spaces being infamously hard to find and afford closer to cities. Often, it isn’t feasible for independent businesses to establish themselves in the busiest areas, and so a natural inventiveness emerges. The results often lead to a greater sense of community.

“People want you to succeed. They want this to stay in their community, so they support you. I felt that, and that gives you the impetus to want to do more, to want to give more. It’s quite humbling in that sense. Setting up a business is very difficult, but when you stand there and look around at people conversing, laughing, dancing, playing cards, connecting and enjoying a space that you have created, that’s what makes me happy,” Darren said.

At Cooper’s, they strive to make the spaces changeable and multi-use. Customers can call in to get coffee or a sandwich in the daytime, or to buy a bottle to take home, while evenings see the shops transforming into intimate wine bars where tastings are also held. The wines follow a similar ethos, ranging in price and variety, with Aperol spritz and special selections on tap. The choices of what to offer also play into the vision.

“I just wanted people to come in and not feel intimidated. Wine is a drink at the end of the day. Yes, there are lots of intricacies that go into making it, but fundamentally it’s created to be enjoyed by people,” Darren said.

In Phibsborough, another recent opening is also striving to create a dynamic space that serves people living nearby. Fíon Eile (meaning ‘Another Wine’ in Irish) is run by Paul Gartland and Sinéad McCarthy, a couple that has spent their professional careers working in world-class restaurants like Chapter One and Hawksmoor.

“The idea emerged organically. We spent a lot of time getting advice from Roger at Pinto Wines in Drumcondra, who was incredibly generous with his knowledge of what is involved in doing something like this. Another catalyst was to find a way out of the intense late nights and long hours of high-end restaurants. We love wine, we love food and people. Our lives revolve around it, so we put our heads together to think about how we could fulfil our passions in a more sustainable way. The plan was to just open a bottle shop, but the space we found was bigger than we expected, and after being open three days, we found that every single person that walked in wanted to know if a wine bar was coming. So we decided to do one,” Paul said.

The pair bought a physical map of Dublin and hung it on the wall, adding a pin to every location on the north side of the city that already had a wine shop or bar. They landed on Phibsborough as a good place to open.

“There’s a socio-economic aspect to neighbourhood wine places doing well. Not many people can afford to live in the city centre. For most of the year, it’s tourists, and they are not buying bottles of wine to take home. Most of our clientele here are returning customers. We don’t really have parking; there’s people arriving on foot or on their bikes. They give us a call, and we drop it around or they pop by. We have come to know and appreciate these people,” Sinéad said.

In a similar way to Cooper’s, the team at Fíon Eile have noticed that their customers are intentionally choosing to support their business to ensure it stays afloat.

“People know they can get cheaper wine in the big supermarkets, but they also know that what we do is a bit different. They are supportive of people just giving things a go. The wine bar side of things has also been invaluable in informing how we order. Being at the point of consumption, we get instant feedback from people on what they like. We can then tweak things to offer more to the community,” Sinéad added.

Even the branding is informed by the local area. The team worked with Post Studio on their identity, with a chunky font that evokes the old Guinness ads and hand-painted signs that can be seen all around Phibsborough. The logo is a play on the Claddagh ring, with a crown and hands cupping a glass of wine.

The shop offers private tastings at least once a week at present, and does ticketed events and walk-in tastings. Suppliers sometimes set up and offer free tastings for customers to explore different wines without any pressure, and Sinéad and Paul are also hoping to establish a wine school in the coming years. The adjoining space offers the opportunity for them to do pop-up supper clubs and larger private events.

When asked about their favourite aspect of what they do, it seems that community is once again at the forefront of their minds.

“There has been a lot of talk about Dublin and how it’s changing for better or worse over the past few years. There are a lot of things that need to be addressed for sure, but I have a feeling now that, in a small way, we are at least contributing to it positively. I’m proud to open a business in the area, to create a few jobs, and to get involved with Tidy Towns and the community. There’s something fulfilling and purposeful about doing something tangible,” Sinéad said.

Photography by James Gabriel Martin